Machine for mechanically mixing tobacco leaves



Aug. 28, 1928. 1,682,017

H. MULLER MICHINE FOR MECHANICALLY MIXING TOBACCO LEAVES Filec Dec. 24, 1926 Fig. 4

Patented Aug. 2 8, 19 28.

entree I srArEs PATENT OFFICE.

HEINRICH MULLER, or GROSS FLOTTBECK, NEAR HAMBURG, GERMANY, asszenon TO THE FIRM JOHANN CARL M ZJ'LLER, or DRESDENA., GERMANY.

MACHINE FOR MECHANICALLY MIXING-TOBACCO LEAVES.

Application filed December 24, 1326, Serial No. 158,851, and in Germany Novemb r 7 1325.

This invention relates to devices for mechanically mixing tobacco leaves, and has for its-object to ,provide an improved device of this character. I V

All the operations for mixing tobacco leaves, especially in the cigarette and smoking tobacco industries were hitherto performed manually, generally by female operatives and this resulted amongst other disadvantages in the particularly objectionable disadvantage that the tobacco leaves had to "be -repeaitedly and frequently handled. This method of mixing is, therefore, very unhygienic, and moreover considerable quantities of tobac-cowere hitherto lost. Furthermore, the leaves on account of their frailty are "readily broken or split and the process' ofmixing manually is very lengthy and Wearying.

Theinvention has for its main object to obviate these disadvantages and moreover provides for absolutely uniform mixing of the various kinds of tobacco.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred constructional form of the invention,

Figure 2 being a plan view thereof.

Referring now to the drawing a number of sorting tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. at which the operatives are seated on stools a, are provided, and the various kinds of tobacco are brought up to the tables in boxes 6, the tobacco to be separated being removed from them and placed on the tables. An operative is seated on each side of each box I) and each box is, therefore, always attended to by two operatives. Apertures 0 are provided in the tables, the separated tobacco being pushed towards these apertures so that it falls through the apertures to conveying bands d, which pass over conducting rollers e and f at the ends of the tables. These bands are operated by a motor M, through gear wheels 9, h, and a shaft 2', which carries the rollers e. The bands d are arranged adjacent to a common collecting and conveying band is running transversely thereto, which conveys the already mixed tobacco to the left as shown in the drawing, to an upwardly inclined conveying band Z and a horizontal conveying band on at the upper end thereof.

The conveying band 73 passes over the rollers n n and the upwardly inclined coning nd Z ;c-s over 1': o, o, the horizontal conveying band m passing over the rollers p, g). These rolleis are d iven by a motor M by means of belt r on the shaft of the roller 0, and thence by means of a chain 5;, co-operation with chain wheels on the axes of the rollers 0, a, 0', 29'.

From the horizontal endless band on the tobacco is deliverco to a conveying band 2?. ch can be agitated in a horizontal plane iilitlWlliClL upon tation. delivers the tobacco into a main funnel a, in such a man nor that the tobacco uniformly distributed ovcr the surface 01 the funnel. A vertical c annel u inn'runicate directlv with one another. Below the funnel mouths o chambers are provided in the cylinder w, boxes being disposed in the chambers in such a manner that there is a box 00 below each funnel. mouth. The cylinder Q0 is secured to a shaft 3 and is pivotally mount-- ed in the bearing 2, the shaft y being driven by motor M through bevel gearing e, 2

In operation the various kinds of tobacco are deposited on the conveying bands (I through the apertures c, which deliver the tobacco to the common conveying band k, whence it is conveyed upwards to the funnel a in an already mixed condition, the different kinds of tobacco being proportioned ac cording to the recipe of a given. mixture, on the tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The movement of the boxes :0 under the funnels u, a is arranged to take place at such a speed that only a thin layer containing the prescribed proportions of each kind of tobacco drops into each box each time it passes under a funnel mouthu, so that the boxes are filled with a number of layers of mixture (several hundred. for example), and an intimate mechanical mixture is consequently obtained. The boxes to after being completely filled are removed from the cylinder 10 and placed directly in a tobacco cutting machine. It will, therefore, be evident that by using the improved mixing device the hands of the operatives come into contact with the tobacco once only, thatis to say when separating the leaves fromthe bales and pushing them towarcs (110 apertures c.

aving now described my invention what I claim as new'and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is I 1. In a machine for automatically mix- I. ing tobacco leaves, a plurality of individual conveyors each adapted to carry a ditlt'erent brand or leaves, a common conveyor onto which the diiterent brands of leaves are deposited from said individual conveyors, a stationary funnel shaped chute at one end of said common conveyor to receive the mixture oi dit' 'rent leaves from the latter and a sericsoi": individual receptacles moving past said stationary receptacle so that the leaves are distributed. therein f om the lat-- ter in unitorni successive layers.

2. In a machine for automatically miX- ing tobacco leaves, a plurality individual conveyors each adapted to carry a ditlerent brand of leaves, a common conveyor onto which the diilerent b ands leaves are deposited from said indifidual conveyors, a stationary funnel at one end of said common conveyor to receive the mixture of different leaves from the latter a d a series of revolving receptacles adapted to successivetherein in successive layers.

3. In a machine or" the character described as per claim 1 in which inlextension otsaid.

"common conveyor an auxiliary conveyor is provided capable of oscillation across said stationary.receptacle to causethe leaves falling' into the latter to be uniformly distributed therein.

e. In a machine of the character described, a plurality of tables or platforms each having recesses, a plurality of individual conveyors receiving different brands of leaves through the recesses of the ditlerent tables, a common conveyor receiving the different brands of leaves from the'incividual conveyors, a stationary funnel shaped chute at one end of said common conveyor and a revolving casing formed With a series of contiguous tunnel shaped chutes and adapted to carry removable receptacles, said chutes being adapted to register successive ly with said stationary chute so that the leaves are distributed insaid receptacles from the latter in uniform successive layers.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

HEINRICH MULLER. 

